PlanetPage Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Memories on sale at Ambassador East Heart of the 'hood 02/23/2011 10:00 PM FELICIA DECHTER The author, second from right, with her friend Wanda Garcia, Jimmy Page and John Bonham, at The Buttery in the Ambassador West Hotel in the ’70s. The scribbles on Page’s face is where he later autographed the photo. ...... The author, second from right, with her friend Wanda Garcia, Jimmy Page and John Bonham, at The Buttery in the Ambassador West Hotel in the ’70s. The scribbles on Page’s face is where he later autographed the photo. So you’ve all probably heard about the sale at the Ambassador East Hotel by now, and some of you hopefully went over and grabbed yourself a little piece of Chicago history. As of Monday I hadn’t made it there — yet — but I still may mosey down to the hotel, 1301 N. State Parkway, and check things out later this week. The famed hotel is cleaning house, and for 12 days beginning last Friday, it has been selling off treasures from days gone by. I love that you can pick up items like the bar stool that Frank Sinatra once sat on, and the hotel and Pump Room have served so many famous guests that it’s hard to even try and decide whose name to drop. Let’s see, to mention a mere few besides ol’ blue eyes, there’s Judy Garland, Bette Davis, David Bowie, Natalie Wood, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and so many others. I could picture Bette Davis sitting at the piano belting out tunes, a story I heard from the guy sitting next to her, Old Towner Stanley Paul. And who wouldn’t love to own a bed that you could hang a sign over that reads “Humphrey Bogart slept here.” Celebs have unlocked their doors with the door locks for sale. Once upon a time they sat in the Pump Room and at its bar, where mega-deals were made and the grandest of legends were spotted. Add that to the oil paintings, baby grand piano, glassware, china and thousands of other items for sale, and you’ve got one heck of an event. But what I was really wondering is if there’s any Led Zeppelin memorabilia? I was a star-struck teen when my friend Wanda Garcia and I strolled into the Ambassador East’s famous sister, the Ambassador West Hotel, after an awesome, three-hour Led Zeppelin concert at the old Chicago Stadium in 1977. The band was playing several nights in Chicago that week, and I had great seats to two of the shows. We had heard they were staying at one of the Ambassador hotels, which for decades were home to many of the stars who traveled through the city. Wanda and I walked into the place as if we owned it, fully expecting to be tossed out. Yet somehow Led Zeppelin’s head of security, a guy named Jack, took a liking to us. After some big-time pleading on our part, we soon found ourselves sitting in the bar, The Buttery, pretty much alone with the guys from Led Zeppelin. “How ya doing darlin’?” a young and handsome Jimmy Page asked as we sat down at the table with Page, Robert Plant — with his long, curly, and glorious golden locks — John Bonham and John Paul Jones, who treated us as if we were old friends. I can’t imagine the band being here several days and not venturing into the Pump Room, which opened in 1938 and once was THE place to see and be seen. The sale runs through Friday — or until all the items are sold — so there’s still time to get there. The price range varies, from $15 for a mini-bar or $20 for Pump Room check holders to $100 for vintage phones or $250 for bar stools. At the top, Sinatra’s booth and a baby grand piano go for $4,250 each. As far as what’s still left: “Everyone just has to come and see for themselves what’s available that day,” a hotel employee told me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanetPage Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 http:// copyright Mark2400 Flickr; http://www.flickr.co...70805/lightbox/ Photolink of The Buttery Room Vintage era.. The Great Signature Book of the Pump Room includes signings from Marlene Dietrich, Cole Porter and Led Zeppelin. http://chuckmanchica...mit=Find+%C2%BB http://blogs.suntime..._swan_song.html The Pump Room Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators sam_webmaster Posted July 20, 2012 Administrators Share Posted July 20, 2012 Memories on sale at Ambassador East Heart of the 'hood 02/23/2011 10:00 PM FELICIA DECHTER The author, second from right, with her friend Wanda Garcia, Jimmy Page and John Bonham, at The Buttery in the Ambassador West Hotel in the ’70s. The scribbles on Page’s face is where he later autographed the photo. ...... The author, second from right, with her friend Wanda Garcia, Jimmy Page and John Bonham, at The Buttery in the Ambassador West Hotel in the ’70s. The scribbles on Page’s face is where he later autographed the photo. So you’ve all probably heard about the sale at the Ambassador East Hotel by now, and some of you hopefully went over and grabbed yourself a little piece of Chicago history. As of Monday I hadn’t made it there — yet — but I still may mosey down to the hotel, 1301 N. State Parkway, and check things out later this week. The famed hotel is cleaning house, and for 12 days beginning last Friday, it has been selling off treasures from days gone by. I love that you can pick up items like the bar stool that Frank Sinatra once sat on, and the hotel and Pump Room have served so many famous guests that it’s hard to even try and decide whose name to drop. Let’s see, to mention a mere few besides ol’ blue eyes, there’s Judy Garland, Bette Davis, David Bowie, Natalie Wood, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and so many others. I could picture Bette Davis sitting at the piano belting out tunes, a story I heard from the guy sitting next to her, Old Towner Stanley Paul. And who wouldn’t love to own a bed that you could hang a sign over that reads “Humphrey Bogart slept here.” Celebs have unlocked their doors with the door locks for sale. Once upon a time they sat in the Pump Room and at its bar, where mega-deals were made and the grandest of legends were spotted. Add that to the oil paintings, baby grand piano, glassware, china and thousands of other items for sale, and you’ve got one heck of an event. But what I was really wondering is if there’s any Led Zeppelin memorabilia? I was a star-struck teen when my friend Wanda Garcia and I strolled into the Ambassador East’s famous sister, the Ambassador West Hotel, after an awesome, three-hour Led Zeppelin concert at the old Chicago Stadium in 1977. The band was playing several nights in Chicago that week, and I had great seats to two of the shows. We had heard they were staying at one of the Ambassador hotels, which for decades were home to many of the stars who traveled through the city. Wanda and I walked into the place as if we owned it, fully expecting to be tossed out. Yet somehow Led Zeppelin’s head of security, a guy named Jack, took a liking to us. After some big-time pleading on our part, we soon found ourselves sitting in the bar, The Buttery, pretty much alone with the guys from Led Zeppelin. “How ya doing darlin’?” a young and handsome Jimmy Page asked as we sat down at the table with Page, Robert Plant — with his long, curly, and glorious golden locks — John Bonham and John Paul Jones, who treated us as if we were old friends. I can’t imagine the band being here several days and not venturing into the Pump Room, which opened in 1938 and once was THE place to see and be seen. The sale runs through Friday — or until all the items are sold — so there’s still time to get there. The price range varies, from $15 for a mini-bar or $20 for Pump Room check holders to $100 for vintage phones or $250 for bar stools. At the top, Sinatra’s booth and a baby grand piano go for $4,250 each. As far as what’s still left: “Everyone just has to come and see for themselves what’s available that day,” a hotel employee told me. Good one. Thanks PP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingLovingHeartbreaker Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Great post Planet Page! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZosofanCMR Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Bunch of them here: http://findingzoso.blogspot.com/search/label/Page%20Places Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanetPage Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Good one. Thanks PP. Thank you once again for your wonderful appreciation.......... ....and thanks to the fans thus far making contribution to this thread and many others to celebrate the gift of music and that intoxicating era of Led Zeppelin...there is nothing else beyond this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Pretty cool. Thanks for sharing PlanetPage. Anything else you can share with that you can recall when meeting them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanetPage Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 The International Inn, Winnipeg, Led Zeppelin, Guest of Honor August 29, 1970... Photo: The Tribune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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